A common misconception?

The art of Peter Bowden
My photographs are on display at the Hewitt’s on Western Ave. Drop by for a look! These are professionally processed and printed on Kodak Endura paper for 100 year colorfastness.

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Attention Clifton Park…I’ll be at the Hewitt’s on Rt. 9 Friday from 3PM to 7PM. Drop by and pick my brain…I’d love to see you.

Attention Wilton I’ll be at the Hewitts on Rt 9. Maple Ave. Saturday from 10AM to 4PM.

Attention Guilderland I’ll be at the Hewitts on Rt 20., Western Ave. Maple Ave. Sunday from 10AM to 4PM.

A common misconception?
Last weekend I was talking to a customer in the nursery. She was looking at the selection of Altheas and seemed like she wanted to purchase one but said, “I should probably wait though.” I asked her why.

“I read that you shouldn’t transplant shrubs during summer.”

I’ve heard this before and, literally speaking, the statement is true.

However, there’s a major difference between planting and transplanting. Transplanting is the process of DIGGING OUT and moving an established plant to a new location. If you attempt to transplant during summer, you run a very real risk of sending the plant into fatal shock. When you dig the plant out, you’ll inevitably destroy many of the small roots. Since the plant is in the full flush of growth, this shock is often fatal…especially during a dry summer like this one.

When you shop in your local nursery or garden center, you are buying plants that were dug and balled or potted much earlier when the plant was still dormant. What you are doing when you bring your new shrub or perennial home is PLANTING not TRANSPLANTING.

Don’t you think these trees would be happier planted in the cool, dark earth rather than
sitting on the ground in the heat until fall?

You didn’t dig it did you?
You didn’t dig it up so you haven’t disrupted the root system or shocked the plant. It is the act of digging out that causes severe stress. Many folks put off their planting until fall because they think that they shouldn’t do it now. If you have PLANTING to do, do it as soon as you can. Planting in July is better that August; and August is better than September and so on. Remember, the longer the plant has to establish itself before winter, the better the chances are that it will survive.

Think about it…if it wasn’t possible to plant in summer, landscapers would be out of business.

Summer planting will mean extra attention to watering to be sure the plants don’t dry out excessively during the hot days ahead. If you are planning to be away on vacation for more than a few days, have a friend or neighbor water for you while you’re gone.

Another advantage to summer planting is taking advantage of sales as nurseries
sell off shrubs, trees and perennials to reduce their watering workload.Naturally I get a lot of e-mail questions…here’s a little sample of what comes and goes from my mailbox:

Hi – I’m getting ready to plant an apple tree (potted) and wondered if I need to add anything to the soil other than mulch after planting. The Arbor Day website just says to replace the original soil, but we live on clay.

Clay soil can be difficult. You can blend in compost or humus and even sand to help break up the clay. Even so, the soil you place back into the hole will mostly be clay soil. Over the life of the tree it will be sending out roots into that clay. Your main concern will be keeping the tree watered so the soil is constantly moist (not soggy wet though) for the rest of this summer and fall as well as next year. The good news is that apples have no problem growing in clay soil.

We recently planted 2 Cypress ( I believe that’s what they were as there
were no tags…soft feeling needle) and 3 Dwarf Norway Spruce. We’re in
Schuylerville, so, not much rain. Our soil leans toward clay. How often
and how much should I be watering them with these dry conditions? The Norway
Spruce says to water regularly, but that is not much help.

Feel the soil a couple of inches deep. If if feels cool and moist, wait a couple of days before watering.

When it feels dry a couple of inches deep, give it a deep soak by leaving the hose to dribble at the base of the plant for a couple of hours. That should hold it for several days, but you’ll want to check it every couple of days until you notice how long it takes to get dry. You don’t want them getting bone dry but you don’t want them to be soggy wet all the time either.

Hi Mr. Bowden, I met you at the Hewitts in Glenmont I was the one buying the hybiscus and you informed me it was an indoor plant. Thanks a ton! I have a question for you. I have noticed little white things on the underside of the leaves on the plant and when I shake the leave or touch it some of the white things fly off. I am guessing is some sort of bug. Will this hurt my plant? What are they? And it there a way of getting rid of them.

It sounds like your hibiscus has picked up a whitefly infestation. Left unchecked, they will reproduce and will eventually kill the plant and spread to others. The good news is that they are easy to kill with a thorough spraying with Insecticidal Soap. Bring it outside and spray every inch of the plant with the IS until it is dripping off…pay particular attention to the undersides of the leaves. Do this once a week for three weeks. You should also get some systemic granules to put into the soil. The hibiscus will take up the insecticide and any insects that suck on or chew the plant will be killed. Hibiscus are very attractive to many insect pests so the systemic granules are a good idea.

When is the best time to prune Climbing Hydrangea? Mine is taking over the trellis.

You can do some light pruning anytime to remove spent flowers. You could also do some light pruning to keep it under control now but heavier pruning should wait until after frost.